City Plumbing is a trade shop that now sells plug-in solar to anyone. Its DMEGC kits cost less than most rivals. This is a guide to the four of them, built from the shop's own pages and the government's figures. We have not tested any of them.
What do you get in the box?
Each kit has DMEGC solar panels and a Hoymiles HiFlow inverter. An inverter turns the panel's power into the kind your sockets use. The product page does not give the inverter's model number, so we can't say its exact output. The four kits are 475 W, 525 W, 950 W and 1050 W of panels. The two bigger kits have two panels. The product page doesn't say whether a mount is included. The rules say a compliant kit must come with one, so ask City Plumbing before you order. Kits with more than 960 W of panels come with official advice to have an electrician check your wiring first.
How much does it cost?
Price checked 12 October 2026, and each includes 20% VAT. The 475 W kit is £336. The 525 W kit is £360. The 950 W kit is £456. The 1050 W kit is £480. These are the cheapest kits we could verify. The page doesn't say whether a mount is included, so ask before you order. Prices move fast, so look again before you pay.
How much will it save a year?
The government worked out savings for 800 W of panels: about £70 to £110 a year. Most single-panel kits make less than that. So we scaled the figure by panel size: panel watts divided by 800, times £70 to £110, rounded to the nearest £5. This is our estimate, not the shop's. That gives about £40 to £65 for the 475 W kit, £45 to £70 for the 525 W kit, and £70 to £110 for the two-panel kits. The two-panel kits get the full figure because the inverter caps output at 800 VA.
How long does it take to pay for itself?
Divide the price by the yearly saving, best and worst case, to the nearest half year. The 475 W kit: £336 ÷ £65 = 5.2 and £336 ÷ £40 = 8.4, so 5 to 8.5 years. The 525 W kit: £360 ÷ £70 = 5.1 and £360 ÷ £45 = 8, so 5 to 8 years. The 950 W kit: £456 ÷ £110 = 4.1 and £456 ÷ £70 = 6.5, so 4 to 6.5 years. The 1050 W kit: £480 ÷ £110 = 4.4 and £480 ÷ £70 = 6.9, so 4.5 to 7 years. If you have to buy a mount separately, each figure grows a little. See is plug-in solar worth it? for the method.
Is it on the ENA register?
We can't tell you. The product page shows no ENA reference. The shop's category page calls the range legally compliant, and says the micro-inverters are G98-approved, but that is a claim, not a register entry. Ask City Plumbing for the register reference for your exact kit. Then search the ENA register yourself before you buy. You also have to tell your network operator, as our notification guide explains.
Where can you put it?
The shop also sells floor and wall mounting kits. The listing doesn't say the kit suits a fence, shed or flat roof, so check the mount's own page. Pick a spot that gets sun for most of the day. A tilted panel facing south makes the most. See our guides to sheds, fences and flat roofs and flats and balconies.
Does the warranty outlast the payback?
Yes. The listing says 10 years guaranteed. Our worst case is 8.5 years for the 475 W kit, so the guarantee outlasts it, if only just. The listing doesn't say what the guarantee covers, so ask. Our test: the warranty should run well past the payback.
Who is it for, and who should skip it?
It suits anyone who wants the lowest price and has a sunny spot. Per pound, the two-panel kits give the best payback of any we checked. Skip it if the shop can't give you a register reference, or if it can't confirm a mount comes in the box. In that case, price a kit that includes one.
The quick version
- Four kits from £336 to £480, VAT included, checked 12 October 2026.
- Payback is about 4 to 8.5 years, by our estimate scaled from the government's figures.
- The page doesn't say if a mount is included, and shows no ENA reference. Ask, then check the register.